Five tips on keeping staff engagement high in a remote environment

How do you keep your team connected with you, the business and each other, if they’re working remotely? Here are five tips to keep everyone engaged.

• Set clear goals and objectives
  It is so important for people to understand what their goals and objectives are, especially if they are working on their own. Motivate your team by setting those goals with them individually so they know what they need to achieve and when.
• Maintain regular check-ins
  Once they know what their goals are, you as a manager need to support them in achieving them. Make sure you know of any challenges they face at home. And don’t micromanage – it’s important to build trust. Some employees may feel they can’t make a cup of coffee because they worry that ‘If I’m not at my desk I’m not working’. But managers should encourage everyone to get away from their desks at lunchtime for the sake of their well-being.
• Communication
  The way you get that level of understanding and trust is by checking in daily with a whole team meeting. It gives you the opportunity to ask everyone how they are and get that water cooler chat going that you would normally get in the workplace – ie, What did you watch last night? What are you up to? It only needs ten minutes at the start of the day to help everyone get into work mindset.
  Follow it up with a longer weekly check-in with the team to share company news or personal successes. Remote workers will often not know what’s going on and feel they’re missing out – so share any news from those on-site to those at home.
• Celebrate successes
  It’s as important, if not more so, to share positive news with the team if they’re working remotely. Give recognition when it’s due, whether it’s about the whole company doing well, a department success or high achievement at an individual level. Celebrate success at team and all-staff meetings.
• Have fun!
  Lots of companies have introduced virtual coffee mornings, team lunches and other social events allowing employees to take a break from work. As well as online quizzes, outdoor ‘steps challenge’ where everyone’s weekly step distances count towards a virtual walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Every week they track their progress to see where in the country they’ve got to. All of these activities can help bring teams together by prompting conversations and social interactions.

Businesses with highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable than those without. If you’d like help building a strong company culture, call People Puzzles on 020 3633 6830.